Council billing NHS £126,000 a month for Nightingale gas and electric

Harrogate Borough Council is billing the NHS around £126,000 a month for gas, electric and water at Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

Figures published yesterday revealed the NHS paid Harrogate Borough Council £378,220 in “miscellaneous costs” related to the NHS Nightingale.

The NHS confirmed to the Stray Ferret that the £378,220 payment covers the utilities for the building during the Nightingale’s first three months – April, May and June.

Harrogate Borough Council said it is not charging the NHS rent for using the facility.

The NHS took over Harrogate’s Convention Centre in April but so far the hospital has not been used to treat coronavirus patients.

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After weeks of uncertainty, it was confirmed this week that the Nightingale will remain in place until March 2021 after its contract was extended. However, a review will take place in October to assess its need.

Local businesses which rely on the events trade said the extension will have a “huge impact.”

The government has earmarked £3 billion of extra funding to support the seven NHS Nightingale hospitals.

Green Party to protest against water firm’s Pinewoods expansion

Members of Harrogate Green Party will walk up Otley Road at 6pm this evening handing out leaflets about Harrogate Spring Water’s expansion plans into the Pinewoods.

The water company, which was bought out last year by multinational firm Danone, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to extend its bottling plant into Rotary Wood, removing 4 acres of public woodland.

The company already has outline planning permission from HBC to extend its bottling plant into the Pinewoods — but in 2019 they submitted fresh plans that are 40% larger than the original proposal.

The Green Party claims the company has broken a promise to consult with them on landscaping for the updated proposal, which they say does not mitigate for the loss of woodland, which was a condition of the outline planning permission.

As part of the plans, Harrogate Spring Water wants to plant some new trees to the left of the bottling plant.

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Harrogate Green Party campaigner Rebecca Maunder said Harrogate Spring Water is “trying to fob the community off” with the new trees as a replacement for the “rich and diverse” woodland that will be lost.

Nicky Cain, brand manager at Harrogate Spring Water, told the Stray Ferret that the company still plans to consult with local groups but the process has been delayed due to coronavirus.

She said:

“We haven’t yet submitted the revised landscaping details and therefore haven’t yet reached the next phase of consultation. To reassure, there has been no short-cutting of the process or withdrawal of our offer of involvement; in fact quite the opposite – it has simply been a consequence of delays in the planning process due to the impact of COVID since our last meeting.

“The initial landscaping proposals were always subject to change following further ecological work and consultation. The results of the ecological study are still being worked upon, which shall in turn determine our obligations to be addressed as part of the landscaping detail. We hope this shall be ready by the end of September.

“At this stage – and as promised at our meetings with the Green Party, we shall continue to look forward to inviting the Green Party to consult and advise on the landscaping, to help ensure we best meet our responsibilities.”

Tesco moves forward with plans on Killinghall pub site

Tesco has applied for a licence to sell alcohol at the site of the Three Horseshoes pub in Killinghall, which will be demolished and rebuilt as a supermarket.

The company wants to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm seven days a week in the shop, which it says will create 15 part-time and full-time jobs.

In July, Harrogate Borough Council granted Ilkley company Dynamic Capital Killinghall planning permission to demolish the building and build a shop and four flats.

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The council received a petition signed by 232 people objecting to the loss of the pub, which has served Killinghall for 150 years.

Locals also asked public body Historic England to grant the pub listed status, which was rejected.

However, HBC planners decided “the proposal would provide substantial social and environmental benefits” and approved it.

The pub reopened in July after being closed during the lockdown.

A Tesco spokesperson said:

“We believe the new store will be a positive addition to the local community and we aim to be serving customers there in 2021.”

Jinnah restaurant granted licence to sell food and drink outside

Indian restaurant Jinnah on Cheltenham Parade has had an application to sell food and drink outside approved despite concerns that it could contribute to “unsavoury behaviour” late into the night on nearby streets.

Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee met this morning online to approve the new conditions. It also allows Jinnah to sell alcohol off the premises with a meal after 10 pm through delivery services.

The restaurant already has a licence to sell food and drink inside the building between 10:00 am to 00:00 am Monday to Saturday and 12:00 pm to 22:30 pm on Sunday but they wanted to change it to sell food and drink outside until 10.30pm.

Since reopening in July after the lockdown, Jinnah put tables outside for customers to eat and drink. However, its existing licence only allows customers to order food while inside the premises.

A nearby resident spoke to the committee and said he objected to the potential extra noise that people eating and drinking outside could cause. He said it leads to “unsavoury behaviour” near his house.

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He said:

“There’s an element of ‘unsavoury behaviour’ that happens on the backstreet that will be compounded by the ability to serve outside later into the evening. People will smoke on the street and sit on the wall. It can be disturbing and goes on late into the evening.”

Ms Katrina Cowton, speaking on behalf of Jinnah, said the restaurant wanted customers to “enjoy the outside ambience” during the summer months.

She said:

“We’re not wanting it to be a like a bar, it’s for a dining experience. The owners of Jinnah are very family-oriented and we do take it into consideration that residents are nearby. We don’t want to have an impact on their family life.”

NHS paid consultancy firm £1m to set up Harrogate’s Nightingale

The NHS paid consultancy firm KPMG almost £1m to help set up Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

NHS documents, which were first reported in the Huffington Post, confirm that during the first three months of the NHS Nightingale in Harrogate, KPMG was paid £922,899 by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

A local procurement expert told the Stray Ferret that KPMG would have taken on a project manager role for the hospital to help organise contractors, sort leases, order equipment and work out staffing rotas.

Under emergency covid-19 procurement powers, the NHS did not have to go out to competitive tender for the contract.

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The Stray Ferret asked KPMG how they spent the money and how they ensured the contract represented value for money but they declined to make a comment.

The document also revealed that in June the NHS paid Harrogate Borough Council £378,220 in “miscellaneous expenditure”. HBC told the Stray Ferret that they have not charged the NHS any rent for using the Convention Centre.

After weeks of uncertainty, it was confirmed this week that the Nightingale will remain in place until March 2021 after its contract was extended. However, a review will take place in October to assess its need.

Road through Granby park a ‘hammerblow’ for nearby residents

A road through a park on the former site of Harrogate Rugby Club will destroy a green space that has been a lifeline to people during lockdown, according to a local residents group.

Richborough Estates and housebuilder Redrow have submitted plans for 95 homes to be built on Granby Farm which is next to the park. The site is designated for development within Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan.

The plans include an access road which cuts through Pickering Gardens, a park that was created when the former Harrogate Rugby Ground was redeveloped.

When HBC granted planning permission for Redrow to develop the rugby ground in 2013, a legal document called a Section 106 agreement was attached to it that said the green space must be protected as an amenity for the residents.

Members of the local resident’s association told the Stray Ferret that the access road proposal is a “hammerblow” as many bought the properties on the assumption that the park would not be developed.

They’ve called on Harrogate Borough Council to reject the application.

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Jane Tankard from the Devonshire Gardens Residents Association said she fears the Section 106 agreement to protect the land is “not worth the paper it’s written on”.

Mark Tordoff, chairman of the group, told the Stray Ferret that the park has been “keeping residents sane” during lockdown.

Mr Tordoff said that since the green space opened at the beginning of 2019 it’s regularly used for community events, sports and socialising between residents.

Sarah Carr, land and planning director for Redrow in Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret:

“The proposed access is via our existing Devonshire Gardens development and cuts through a small section of the public open space. We were aware at the time of the potential for future development so made sure that this was clearly visible in our marketing materials for Devonshire Gardens, as well as briefing purchasers at the point of reservation.”

The plans are due to go before Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee next month.

 

A new era for social housing in Harrogate?

An uncertain economic climate for housebuilders could mean Harrogate Borough Council will buy more social housing like its unprecedented £4.5m spend on 52 homes on Whinney Lane.

HBC’s cabinet gave the green light for 36 of the homes to be made available for social rent with 16 transferred to HBC’s housing company, Bracewell Homes, to be sold under shared ownership.

The developer Stonebridge would not tell the Stray Ferret why it is selling the homes to HBC, but there have been signs locally that housebuilders are expressing caution in a market that has been thrown up in the air by coronavirus.

HBC’s planned purchase at Whinney Lane has been called its biggest investment into social housing in over a decade and could open the door to similar investments that will help people living in the district pay rent at a genuinely affordable price.

Waiting lists

The council has 1,523 households on its waiting list  — but in Harrogate, less than one in ten applicants are likely to be allocated a property each year.

This waiting list has swelled as Right to Buy sales have depleted HBC of its housing stock.

Introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, Right to Buy gives council tenants the option to buy the property they live in for a discounted rate.

But critics say it has trapped people into expensive and often poor quality private rented accommodation and has stripped councils like Harrogate of a vital revenue stream.

Affordable housing

HBC says that to create socially diverse communities, every large development in the district must include 40% “affordable” housing, which means homes sold at 80% of the market rate.

However, in a high-value town like Harrogate, an “affordable” home still costs over £300,000.

HBC’s own Draft Housing Strategy 2019-24 concedes that the town is one of the most unaffordable places to live in England, with average house prices around 11 times the median annual income of people who work in the town.

This means people earning a modest salary will never be able to get on Harrogate’s unforgiving housing ladder and could be trapped paying high rents forever, unable to save for a deposit.

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Liberal Democrat county councillor Geoff Webber told the Stray Ferret that he’s “ecstatic” HBC looks set to make the Whinney Lane purchase, and hopes there will be more to come.

He called on the council to usher in a “comprehensive programme of council house building”, where the homes are protected from Right to Buy and are available in perpetuity at a social rent.

Winds of change

Council estates have at times gained a reputation for bad behaviour which Mr Webber blamed on austerity and the closure of local housing offices.

Planners have avoided placing large concentrations of social housing together over fears of creating so-called “ghettos”.

But where once social housing was seen as politically difficult, it’s now firmly on the agenda. In each of the major political parties’ manifestos there were commitments on building more social housing.

After the second world war, the UK rebuilt itself with a massive programme of social housing and it’s been suggested that we should do the same to recover from coronavirus and deal with the housing crisis.

Locally, the mood music is also positive and at the cabinet meeting both council leader Richard Cooper and cabinet member for housing Mike Chambers enthusiastically backed the Whinney Lane purchase.

While the 32 homes at Whinney Lane will only represent a small dent into the council’s waiting list, Geoff Webber said building more social housing is a win-win for Harrogate.

He said:

“People living in council homes are no different to anybody else, they might have a little less money but they are no different. Some of them are absolutely essential to Harrogate’s economy.”

Harrogate district MPs silent on government planning reforms

Harrogate District MPs are remaining tight-lipped about the government’s planning proposals as a storm brews within the Conservative party over the reforms.

If passed, the proposals would have a big impact locally and could see Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan redrawn so land would fall into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.

The government could also set a fresh housing needs requirement for Harrogate if they think more homes should be built on brownfield sites within the district.

The Stray Ferret asked Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams whether they backed the proposals but none responded at the time of publication.

The BBC reported last week that one Tory MP is predicting “quite a battle” in the Conservative party over the issue.

Conservative MP for the Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he is worried the reforms will lead to “the slums of tomorrow” due to lower quality housing being built in affluent areas.

On the Today Programme this morning, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely even suggested that a large amount of new homes being built on the island could affect his majority at the next General Election.

James Jamieson, the Local Government Association’s chairman and a Conservative councillor also said a loss of local control over developments “would be a concern.”

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The government wants to see 300,000 homes built a year in the UK and housing minister Robert Jenrick said the proposals will “cut red tape” to deliver housebuilding on a faster scale.

But it’s been criticised by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who called the proposals “disgrace” and the Labour Party who called it a “developers’ charter”.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the government’s planning reforms won’t do enough for affordable or social housing in the district.

She said:

“Yet again, we are witnessing a Conservative-run government who are completely unwilling to understand what people need. Reforming planning laws will not aid those who are either stuck on waiting lists or struggling to get the funds together to buy their own home.”

Harrogate Town to begin new season in three weeks

Harrogate Town will begin the 2020/21 season on September 5 in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

The team have not had long to bask in promotion glory and will play again on September 8 or 9 in the EFL Cup before kicking off their first-ever campaign in League Two on September 12.

The season will conclude on 8/9 May 2021 with the play-off final taking place at Wembley Stadium over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend May 29-31 2021.

Because the season is starting six weeks later than usual there will be 11-midweek fixtures.

If the team wins their first-round Carabao Cup clash on September 5 it would put them into the hat for a mouth-watering tie with Premier League outfits Manchester City, Liverpool and newly promoted Leeds United.

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Manager Simon Weaver has been busy in the transfer market since their historic win at Wembley less than two weeks ago, adding Jake Lawlor, Tom Walker and Connor Kirby in recent days.

Town fans are anxiously awaiting the announcement of who they will play in the league next season which will be released by the EFL on August 21 at 9am.

Town will play the first few games of the season at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium due to the artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium being replaced with grass due to EFL regulations.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret last week about the 3G pitch being replaced, Town managing director Garry Plant said “it’s time to say goodbye to a very old friend that’s done brilliantly for the club.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday that fans can begin to return to football stadiums from October 1, pending no spikes in coronavirus infections.

Ripon quarry submits plans to work 4 million tonnes of limestone

Plans have been submitted to work an extra four million tonnes of limestone at a quarry next to Lightwater Valley theme park.

Limestone has been extracted at Potgate Quarry in North Stainley since the 1980s to create on-site concrete as well as for use in construction and road-building across North Yorkshire.

Lightwater Quarries Limited, which owns the quarry, said the amount of available limestone has been decreasing so it has applied to North Yorkshire County Council for an extension to the site to extract a further four million tonnes over a period of 20 years.

A map of the quarry and the proposed extension.

An environmental report attached to the application found that vibrations from the quarry would have a “slight adverse” impact on nearby houses. It also says that work at the site will cause some disturbance to local wildlife such as great crested newts.

However, as extraction works come to an end on other parts of the site, these areas will be restored with a patchwork of agricultural fields, woodland and grassland.

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The area is of archaeological importance dating back to the Iron Age or Roman period and an investigation would take place if the plans are passed.

In 2013, archaeologists unearthed an Iron Age enclosure while excavating land at the edge of the quarry.

North Yorkshire County Council will decide on the plans in November.